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The NHL Playoff Recap gives you THN's take of what happened in each game of the night and what the consequences will be for the rest of the series.

We also provide our Three Stars of the night, which will be tabulated after each round. First Star is three points, Second Star is two points and Third Star is one point. Be sure to vote on who you think the first star was as well.

Of course there's the other side of the coin: The Black Hole is a piece of the lineup that just couldn't get it going on a given night and contributed to a difficult evening for the team.

THN's Take: It was never in doubt. From the drop of the puck; through the opening period with the Senators nervous start; through the (first three-quarters of the) middle stanza when Ottawa was actually the better team; and, especially, through the third frame when the Rangers dominated, Game 1 was always going to the home team.

Aside from the late blown coverages that handed Ottawa its two goals, New York's game plan was executed to a 'T.' The men in blue banged early, closed off the speed and space of Erik Karlsson (and, absurdly, even got away with turning him into a Daniel Sedin-esque punching bag with Brian Boyle playing the role of Brad Marchand), and, most importantly, through their hustle and sacrifice, made this statement: there's a "1" beside us in the bracket and an "8" beside you for a reason.

As much as the score suggests this wasn't a one-sided affair, the question leading up to Game 2 (Saturday night at 7 p.m.) will be whether the Senators can find some push-back and be the team that was the surprise of the regular season. Otherwise you need only to look back at the Blue Jackets of 2009 or the Thrashers of 2007 to see what the outcome will be.

Three Stars
1. Ryan Callahan - The Rangers captain set the tone by hitting any Senator he could reach and picked up the opening goal.

2. Brad Richards - When New York backed up the bank truck in the summer, they had exactly this in mind. 'B-Rich' played a contest similar to that of Callahan, playing physical and creating offense, just the way he did when he won the Conn Smythe while leading Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup in 2004.

3. Henrik Lundqvist - It was only a pair of lapses in front of him that prevented 'King Henrik' from pitching a shutout. When the Sens were buzzing early in the second period, Lundqvist made several key saves.

THN’s Take: We’ve all seen a goalie throw his team over his shoulder and almost singlehandedly carry his teammates to victory in the NHL playoffs, right? Jaroslav Halak did so for a stretch as a Montreal Canadien in 2010 and Dwayne Roloson played the role for a longer stretch while playing for Tampa Bay last post-season.

So it should come as little surprise to see relatively unknown Capitals netminder Braden Holtby attempt the same routine. The youngster, making his NHL playoff debut, ultimately fell short of stealing a victory as Boston eked out a 1-0 overtime win over Washington in Game 1 of their first-round series, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

For the first two periods, the Capitals were hopelessly outmatched: the Bruins had outshot them by nearly a 4:1 ratio (26 to 7, including only two shots for the Caps in the second period) demonstrating why Boston was a prohibitive favorite to continue on to the second round. Washington needed Holtby – a 22-year-old who’d played just seven regular season NHL games late this season after appearing in 14 last year – to weather the fairly relentless Bruins storm.

Thomas wasn’t nearly as busy, thanks in large part to Norris Trophy candidate Zdeno Chara’s stellar work shadowing Caps star Alex Ovechkin. Washington’s top offensive threat didn’t get a shot on goal through 40 minutes and was on the ice for only one shift during that span when Chara wasn’t out there along with him. When the third period started, the Caps reversed the momentum, holding Boston to one shot in the first 14 minutes. But although they had a few decent chances on Thomas, the visitors failed to produce prolonged pressure and overtime ended on Chris Kelly’s goal.

The Capitals almost stole home ice advantage, but make no mistake – they’ll need Holtby to keep up the magic show just to have an outside chance against a Bruins team that in most other regards is clearly superior.

Three Stars
1. Braden Holtby
2. Zdeno Chara
3. Dennis Seidenberg

Who do you think was the first star?
The Black Hole: Boston didn’t score through regulation time, but for that entire span, it still felt like Washington winger Alex Semin deserved a minus; he had just one shot and although he was feisty (at least, for him), the Caps aren’t paying him to be feisty. Lo and behold, Semin eventually got his minus-1 by being on the ice for Kelly’s overtime goal. Washington needs offense from wherever it can get it, but it would be nice to get it for the $6.7 million they’re paying Semin this year.
- Adam Proteau

THN’s Take: The Sharks aren’t used to being the underdog. They’re used to being the powerhouse stoned by expectations. But against the Blues, the Sharks are almost an after-thought, something San Jose Mercury News writer Mark Purdy believes will benefit the teal team.

But how much of an underdog is San Jose? They’ve been unable to shake the perception of a team that isn’t suited to post-season play, despite the fact they’ve made it to back-to-back Western Conference finals. They’ve been in the mix and they’ve played through some big games, going 8-4 in overtime games in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs. They are now 1-0 in extra time in 2012. Call San Jose a playoff flop at your own peril.

Martin Havlat, your overtime goal-scorer, is another trying to shake the notion he goes up in smoke this time of year. Like San Jose, Havlat’s playoff disappointments came a long time ago and he’s grown from his early days as an Ottawa Senator. With 28 points in his past 26 playoff games heading into Game 1, it should have been no surprise Havlat was a presence. When he’s been in the lineup the Sharks have been a much better team this season (24-13-3), so his continued production is key and shouldn’t be a surprise anymore.

But make no mistake, this tight-checking game was only the start of what will be a long, grueling war of attrition, in which the Sharks will continue to try and prove themselves a playoff team, while the Blues continue to try and prove themselves – though neither should have to.

Three Stars
1. Martin Havlat – Scored the all-important first goal and the most-important overtime-winner. Dany Heatley struggled this time of year for San Jose; this is where Havlat makes the difference.

2. Patrik Berglund – His two big goals put the Blues in the lead and he logged a ton of ice time. His big body is a storyline in this series.

3. Antti Niemi – Speaking of trying to change perceptions, Niemi is still regarded as a second-tier goalie despite a 25-15 post-season record. His 40 saves got this playoff season off on the right foot.
The Black Hole: Though he’s on the winning team, Joe Thornton needs to force himself into this series. David Backes was showing why many consider him a favorite for the Selke award, but Thornton is a premiere offensive player and in seven-game series, those guys make or break teams.- Rory Boylen

THN’s TAKE: Without taking anything away from another miraculous season for the Phoenix Coyotes, one look at their first round matchup with Chicago and a sigh of pity was sure to follow. For the third year in a row the feel-good story of the league drew an unlucky matchup after having to face the Red Wings the first two times.

Conventional wisdom dictates that, as good as the Coyotes were this year, the Blackhawks’ star power would be the difference in a seven-game series. Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and even Jonathan Toews, back from a concussion with determination, would tip the scales against a bump and grind team.

But, then again, the Coyotes aren’t a logical bunch.

Nothing about this team makes sense. Phoenix bonds together to win and, much the same way the Nashville Predators used to be, the real reason for their success is inexplicable – it’s why we never see them coming. There’s some unknown ingredient coach Dave Tippett puts into the recipe that makes Mike Smith superhuman and Radim Vrbata tie for the league lead in regular season game-winners. Even when Vrbata was lost early in Game 1, the Coyotes didn’t miss a beat, hounding the Hawks in every zone.

How else to explain why Mike Smith went from an .899 save percentage with the Lightning, to a Vezina caliber netminder? Or why Ray Whitney went out of his way to hit 77 points and become the oldest player to break 1,000 points in a career? Or why Oliver Ekman-Larsson is arriving as a big-game defenseman at an incredible pace? Or even why they beat and outplayed the favored Blackhawks in Game 1?

Because we can’t explain how and why this team wins on paper, they’ll cruelly continue to be considered as fodder until they win four of seven. One down...and a long way to go.

Three Stars
1. Mike Smith – The Coyotes are generally thought of as a defense-first team, but consider they gave up the third-most shots-against this season and you’ll understand Smith’s Game 1 performance was just another day at the office.

2. Martin Hanzal – Played a physical game and made the Hawks aware he’s ready to go. The overtime-winner was the cherry on top of a great game.

3. Andrew Shaw – His hit took Vrbata out of the game, but Shaw was a worker bee all night long. Though he didn’t get any points, he was noticeable, doing all the sandpaper work and even earning a spot on the ice for Chicago’s last regulation push that lead to a goal.

The Black Hole: Duncan Keith needs to have more of a presence for a guy who logged 29:49 of ice. He didn't get any points, shots or hits, so Brent Seabrook was the stalwart on the back end. Keith is of Norris caliber and needs a better showing than this for the Hawks to bounce back.- Rory Boylen

John Tavares scores with a move no one had ever done before

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John Tavares scores with a move no one had ever done before

The New York Islanders captain undressed Jay Bouwmeester in the most unusual of ways, but the important thing is he kept the puck. Then he buried it

John Tavares: good at hockey.

The New York Islanders captain pulled off an absolutely stunning series of moves last night, culminating in a laser-shot goal against St. Louis Blues goalie Jake Allen. But let's get back to his humbling of Olympic gold medallist Jay Bouwmeester, because that's where the real magic happened.

Witness, as Tavares puts his stick behind his back and grabs it with his other hand while still skating and fending off Bouwmeester. Then, since he is a patient boy, Tavares waits and waits and waits before firing one top corner on Allen:

As the soccer folks would say, lovely. New York would go on to beat the Blues 3-2, with Anders Lee scoring the other two goals for the Isles. After struggling to begin the season, New York is now 6-2-2 in its past 10 games. Tavares leads the squad with 21 points through 26 contests.

Bettman says next season's salary cap could go ‘a couple or so million up'

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Bettman says next season's salary cap could go ‘a couple or so million up'

The NHL could be looking at a $2 million rise in the salary cap for next season, but early projections should be taken with a grain of salt. In December 2015, a potential rise of $3 million was projected. The upper limit increased by only $1.6 million.

It’s still far too soon to tell, but early estimations have it looking like the salary cap could jump up as much as $2 million ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

Following the NHL’s Board of Governors meetings on Thursday, commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about what the league sees as a potential cap for the upcoming campaign, which, among other things, will see the introduction of the league’s 31st franchise in the Vegas Golden Knights.

Bettman didn’t give an exact figure as to what the cap will look like, but he said there’s the potential for the upper limit to move by roughly $2 million.

"There's always a range, but it's something we're going to have to look at very carefully in terms of how may be best to approach it," Bettman said, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. "The cap could range from where it is now to a couple or so million up, but we're going to all have to focus on what makes most sense going forward.”

Any increase in the cap would be good news for the players, especially pending unrestricted free agents looking to land long-term, big-money deals. St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Ben Bishop are two of the biggest names currently slated to hit the open market come July 2017.

Of course, there’s a chance the cap stays flat, which Bettman also indicated, but said he’d prefer to speak with the NHLPA about a possible flat cap before answering questions about it.

Before any GMs with tight cap situations or fans who’re praying their respective teams get some cap breathing room go celebrating, it’s worth noting that early projections for the 2016-17 salary cap saw the upper limit increasing by close to $3 million. That would have seen the cap rise from $71.4 million to $74.5 million, and anyone paying close attention to the financials of the league’s teams is aware that rise in the upper limit didn’t quite come to fruition.

Instead, the cap for the current campaign is $71.4 million, and the rise is mostly thanks to the NHLPA using their five-percent “escalator clause.” Had the players not used the clause, there was some concern the cap could have actually dipped from the past season to the current campaign. Some projections had the cap possibly falling below $70 million for 2016-17.

A rise of $2 million would be only slightly more than the $1.6 million increase from 2015-16 to 2016-17, and it would be one of the smallest increases since the salary cap was introduced in 2005-06. From 2008-09 to 2009-10, the cap rose by only $100,000 and there was no rise in the cap from 2011-12 to 2013-14, with teams allowed to spend to a $60-million limit during the 2012-13 lockout-shortened campaign.

Fantasy hockey mailbag: what happened to the run-and-gun Capitals?

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Fantasy hockey mailbag: what happened to the run-and-gun Capitals?

We're far enough into the season that certain players' slow starts have become more than that. Is it time to cut bait on formerly reliable studs like Kuznetsov?

It's almost time to toss "don't panic" talk out the window in fantasy hockey leagues. Slow starts are insurmountable at this juncture in most pools, but GMs should start identifying and assessing their problem areas. Some struggling stars can still shake off their slumps, but others are showing legitimate red flags right now. The sample sizes are big enough to warrant worrying in certain cases.

That seems to be the theme of almost every question I received for this month's mailbag. Plenty of you find yourselves at crossroads with some typically valuable fantasy commodities. Let's see if I can help you make some tough decisions.

Austin Gagne (@gagne31): Who are the top 10 prospects outside the NHL?

Fun question, Austin, and I'll use it as a chance to plug our recent special THN magazine, Prospects Unlimited. In that edition, we ranked the top 100 players aged 21 and younger at any level. That included current NHLers, players drafted to the NHL but not yet playing there, and even youngsters years away from their draft years. As for a top 10 prospects outside the NHL, I'll pull the best 10 from Prospects Unlimited. I'll include their overall rank too (as they're mixed in with 21-and-under NHLers like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, too):

Dylan Strome, C (9th)

Joe Veleno, C (17th)

Nolan Patrick, C (21st)

Timothy Liljegren, D (22nd)

Ilya Samsonov, G (24th)

Kyle Connor, LW (26th)

Pierre-Luc Dubois, D (27th)

Olli Juolevi, D (28th)

Oliver Wahlstrom, C (30th)

Clayton Keller, C (31st)

Note the inclusion of Connor. He just got sent to the AHL, so he's not an NHLer right now.

Ryan Kleinau (@rkleinau): Will Semyon Varlamov ever turn it around, or is keeping him as one of my two starting goalies a mistake?

Varlamov is undoubtedly better than his season numbers suggest. He's actually improved a bit of late, posting a .926 save percentage over his past eight appearances. Still, it's understandable to be concerned about him. He has a bad team playing in front of him. He regularly faces 30 to 40 shots in a game. He has a good backup behind him in Calvin Pickard. If your league is relatively deep and relies on volume goalie stats such as saves, however, I wouldn't cut bait on Varlamov yet. Your best-case scenario might be a real-life trade that puts him on a better team. It could happen.

If you can move Fleury for another goaltender with a clearer path to regular starts, go for it. We know the Penguins can't finish the year with Fleury and Murray, as it would mean losing Murray in the expansion draft (Fleury has to be protected because of his no-movement clause). So rather than sit on a platoon and wait for a Fleury trade, why not use him to secure yourself goalies from three different teams, increasing your ceiling of starts? That said, I wouldn't rush to move Fleury for a skater, especially if teams in your league carry many goalies and rotate them, as you won't get enough starts from just Murray alone. If you can buy low on a Freddie Andersen type for Fleury, though, do it.

This is a slam-dunk. Any team acquiring Laine in a keeper pool is in good shape. And you get Larkin coming your way on top of that? This one's a no brainer. Laine is a top-10 forward commodity already in keeper formats.

Harold P (@howie379): Do you like Patrick Maroon from Edmonton?

He's a handy and underrated player in fantasy. I have him on my team in my most important league. He's played 45 games as an Oiler over the past two seasons, amassing 16 goals, 27 points, 62 penalty minutes and 100 hits. Pro-rated to an 82-game season: 29 goals, 49 points, 113 PIM, 182 hits. That's a valuable stat line in any league. He's a nice depth option who gets chances to play with Connor McDavid from time to time.

I'll single out three top-flight producers from last year: Johnny Gaudreau, Anze Kopitar and Aleksander Barkov.

The three-week injury layoff seemed to do 'Johnny Hockey' wonders, as he's returned to the lineup possessed, with three straight two-point games. He's making up for lost time. It wouldn't be remotely surprising to see him score at a top-five rate the rest of the year.

As for Kopitar, he's done this before. He had 13 points in 23 games through the end of November last season, then had 61 points in 58 games from December onward. He'll be just fine.

Barkov, though, is probably my favorite buy-low in the whole league right now. He's scoring on just 7.7 percent of his shots and is a 12.8 percent career shooter, so he's in store for positive regression. He's an outstanding possession player who generates lots of shot attempts. He's already starting to come out of his slump, with 10 points in his past 11 games. The overall season line of 5-13-18 in 28 games doesn't look too special, though, so it's worth trying to steal him in a trade from an oblivious owner.

Bad sign: I chose Kuznetsov for the main photo in the previous mailbag, too. It's been a problem all season. Owners understandably drafted him expecting a top-10 scorer after he was one last year. So what on Earth is wrong with the kid? We can't blame it on deployment. Kuznetsov's most common linemate this season has been Alex Ovechkin, and Kuznetsov's ice time has been virtually identical to last year's. On one hand, Kuznetsov has some of the game's best pure hands, and he's bound to get hot at some point, so he's a decent buy-low target. On the other hand, if you're buying low, aim to get him for 75 cents on the dollar. Don't give up too much, as he's shown some red flags. Kuznetsov shot the puck 2.35 times per game last year and has tumbled to 1.60 this year. He seems to be more hesitant. Concern is officially warranted.

As for Burakovsky, he's just not quite established yet as a consistently dangerous NHL scorer. He's prone to streaks and slumps, and he doesn't always play on Barry Trotz's top two lines. I wouldn't blame anyone for dropping him, but the funny thing is…if you do, I'd advise other GMs to scoop him up. His shooting percentage is way below his norm, and his upside makes him worth a one-week flier for any team.

Chris Pumo (cpumo21): What's up with Filip Forsberg???

Forsberg's struggles are a fluke in my eyes. He still gets lots of ice time. His shooting percentage is ridiculously low. He'll go on a tear soon enough. Don't worry about him.

Terry Cain (@tcain47): Due for a comeback or not: Patrice Bergeron? Tyler Johnson?

Bergeron for sure. He remains an absolutely elite defensive forward, the sport's best, and will always get oodles of ice time as a result. Bergeron is also shooting the puck at close to his normal rate. The pucks will start going in. He's due for a huge surge. Johnson, on the other hand, confounds me a bit. It's starting to look like his 72-point breakout of 2014-15 was an anomaly.

Jasoc Pullen (@JacobPullen): Will Jamie Benn get back to normal?

I think he will. He's still producing at close to a point per game. It's possible Benn just needed time to get physically comfortable after recovering from core muscle surgery, which forced him out of the World Cup. I predict a big second half.

Holland had been left in Toronto as the Maple Leafs opened a three-game western road trip in late November and has not suited up for the Leafs since Nov. 26. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward was a healthy scratch in 17 of the Leafs first 25 games this season.

In eight games, Holland has one assist and a minus-2 rating while averaging 10:43 in ice time a night. Holland is on a one-year, $1.3 million contract this season, and according to CapFriendly, is owed $881,111 for the remainder of the season.

"Peter is a big, solid centerman with good NHL experience," Coyotes general manager John Chayka said in a statement. "We look forward to having him join our team."

Acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in November 2013, the Caledon, Ontario native appeared in 174 games with the Leafs, over parts of four seasons, scoring 25 goals and 63 points.

The 25-year-old also played a role in the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies reaching a seventh game of the conference finals during the 2014 Calder Cup playoffs.

For the Leafs, the move gives general manager Lou Lamoriello another contract spot to work with. Prior to the deal, Toronto had 48 contracts – two shy of the maximum of 50.

Friday’s move gives the Leafs the flexibility to sign goaltender Karri Ramo to a contract for the remainder of the season. The 30-year-old signed a professional tryout with the Marlies on Tuesday and made 33 saves in 3-2 loss to the Utica Comets on Wednesday night.

Since waiving goaltender Jhonas Enroth on Tuesday, and assigning him to the Marlies, the Leafs are looking for a suitable veteran presence behind Frederik Andersen and Ramo could fill the void.

The trade with the Coyotes also gives Lamoriello roster flexibility to activate forward Josh Leivo off non-roster injury reserve. Leivo has yet to play this season due to a lower body injury. The 23-year-old played five games with the Marlies earlier in the season as part of a conditioning assignment, but was deemed not ready to return to NHL action with the Leafs.